When you start playing padel one of the things that you begin to notice is that four players playing on a smaller court lends itself to longer rallies than in other racket sports. Instead of trying for an instant winner, it is usually better to look for ways to change the rhythm of play. This makes it possible to gain an advantage in the point and to start playing your opponents out of position. The Chiquita is the type of shot in padel that is ideal for changing the rhythm of a point and start putting your opponents out of position.
The Chiquita is a shot in the game of padel where the ball is played from near the back of the court to land at the feet of an opponent who is at the net, volleying. It is best played when the player at the net has moved slightly back, leaving space between them and the net.
Let’s study the mechanics of exactly how to play a Chiquita so that you can better understand when will be the ideal moment to unleash one on your opponents.
What Is The Objective Of The Chiquita
Never try to use the Chiquita as a winner. It is part of the process of playing your opponents out of position and forces them to play weaker shots that will eventually lead to an opportunity to play a winner. Aim your Chiquita at the opponent’s feet when they move slightly back from the net.
If your opponents have the net position and are close to the net, begin by playing a lob or two. This will tempt your opponent’s back from the net so that they can be in a position to smash your lob. This is when you play the Chiquita down to their feet.
When you play the Chiquita well, it will either force your opponents right to the back or they will need to deal with a tricky half volley at their feet.
Unlike many other padel shots, you do not need to look for spaces around your opponents to aim your shot. You aim your Chiquita to bounce at your opponent’s feet.
The Chiquita Is An Easy Shot To Learn
You play the Chiquita from near the back of the court, either before or after the glass.
Whether you play your Chiquita from the forehand or backhand the basic mechanics of the shot are exactly the same as your normal forehand or backhand.
The key difference between your Chiquita and your normal shot is that you will play the Chiquita with a shorter backswing. This makes it an easier shot to disguise as you play it.
Playing The Chiquita Flat vs Spin
If you are new to playing the Chiquita your best option will be to play the shot flat so that your focus can be on getting as much control over the speed and direction of your Chiquita as you can.
It is possible to play the Chiquita with either slice or topspin, although adding spin greatly increases your chances of mis-hitting the ball and making an error.
At the professional level, you will often see players using topspin for their Chiquita so that they can hit the ball harder and the spin will help pull the ball down to their opponent’s feet. This is very difficult to do with a padel racket as it doesn’t impart nearly as much topspin as a stringed tennis racket.
When Is The Best Time To Play The Chiquita In Padel
The best time to play the Chiquita is when your opponents have drifted slightly away from the net and opened up some space between them and the net.
A good rule of thumb that I use is to look if there is enough space behind my opponents to be able to play a lob without the risk of them playing a smash. If my opponents are too far back for me to comfortably play a lob then they are far enough back for the Chiquita to work.
If my opponents are too near the net then I will first play a lob or two to tempt them back from the net before playing the Chiquita.
Another useful strategy is to combine the Chiquita with a follow-up lob. This is when you play your Chiquita, pulling your opponents close to the net and immediately playing a lob into the big space behind them. This combination of Chiquita/lob will often put your opponents out of position leaving gaps that you can exploit and play a winner.
Should You Approach The Net After Playing The Chiquita
Even though you often see professional players going to the net after playing the Chiquita in padel, it is a more advanced strategy. If you are still a relative novice or social player, rushing to the net behind any Chiquita will likely lose you more points than you will win.
What I find works better is to play my Chiquita and follow it up with an attacking lob, then approach the net behind my lob.
As you gain more experience, you will begin to tell which of your Chiquitas will result in a soft return that just pops up over the net for an easy shot. These will be the kind of Chiquitas that you can confidently approach the net after playing.
Common Errors When Playing The Chiquita In Padel
There are two very common errors that players make when trying to play the Chiquita, and both will likely lose you the point very quickly.
The first of these two errors is playing with too much aggressive topspin. This error is most common with tennis players. There is no way that you can create nearly the same amount of topspin with a padel racket as you can with a tennis racket.
Playing a Chiquita too aggressively means playing with much less control over where the ball will be going. Either your Chiquita will end up as an unforced error or your opponent will have time to let the ball past and collect the rebound off the back glass for an easier return.
Rather play your Chiquita as a slower/softer shot so that the ball stays lower after the bounce and is more difficult for your opponents to do much with.
The second common error is trying the Chiquita when your opponents are too close to the net.
If your opponents are standing close to the net, there will not be enough space for the ball to drop down to their feet once clearing the net. What’s more, your soft, slow ball will be punished after just one step closer to the net as your opponent will be able to play an aggressive volley downward over the net that will likely bounce up and over the fence for a winner.
So, instead of guaranteed loss of the point by playing the Chiquita when your opponents are close to the net, rather play a lob to force them back and follow up with a Chiquita after.
How To Capitalize On A Really Good Chiquita To Win More Points
If you play a really good Chiquita that bounces right at the feet of your opponent it offers you an opportunity to win the point quickly.
When your opponent is playing the ball from right at their feet their options for shot selection are limited to little else than just pop the ball up into the air softly to get it back over the net.
If you see your opponent playing the soft, easy return it is the perfect type of ball to smash or play a really aggressive volley. However, you will need to move really quickly to get to the net in time.
